Don't Miss - An ancient mystery in Runeterra

If you missed this today, or only checked it once, make sure to take a second look. A lot more information/ lore was posted. 

The First Demonstone has been Obtained.

Update; It looks like this may only be tied to this new thread.

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Summoners, watchers of secrets, harbingers of chaos...

The mighty Geeves has left to explore the world on urgent Live Realm business. In the ensuing void, I have infiltrated the tower of balance he staunchly guarded. I now walk among the inhabitants as one of them. They know not what I seek or why. In his haste... he left the precious artifact behind.

... soon I shall unleash its power to break the shackles holding another back. However, it is not what you think. Be not distracted by the explorer's unimportant tales of a mundane wanderer. That miscreant cares nothing for power or plans.

For those of you who do... look soon to the European West.

An ancient mystery in Runeterra - New Champion Tease Starting

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Hey, everyone. Ezreal here.

Normally, I wouldn't ask for help. I've come across a lot of interesting relics in my travels, but never anything like these.

I've gathered everything on my desk for all of you to take a look. The important thing is that these relics were found all over Runeterra, and they date from different and completely unconnected eras. The thing is… they all share one similarity: they show a dark figure, clearly inhuman, wielding a jagged blade. 

This is a mystery I'm not sure I want solved. From what I can gather so far, this dark figure has been at the center of many bloody conflicts and tales of war.

What do you think? Who is this figure, and what role has he played in Runeterra's history? 
Oh, and if you really want to hear some of the stories about these things… I'll tell them, but some of them aren't pretty.

Update to the Picture

Riot is really going all out this time. People noticed the picture of Ezreal and Lux, Ezreal responded to this on the forums, and then updated the picture to what's above.

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

That picture on the bottom left... is that Lux?

Uh oh.

Don't pay any attention to that sketch of me and whoever that is, it's not important. I didn't mean to leave it out.

I'll justÂ… put it away.

More Information - Stained Glass Window

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Take a look at this. It's a stained glass window from Demacia.

Don't ask me how I got it. I'm going to give it back, I promise. I'm borrowing it for research, and they'll never know it's missing. Demacians never stop talking about light, so what do they really need a window for, anyway?

Look closely. See the shape in the center with the wings and the jagged sword? That's the figure I've been seeing everywhere.

This is the first artifact that really got me thinking. It's not that old, and it can't really go back more than a few generations at most. I asked around, and nobody knows what the figure is or if he has a name. They all agreed on one thing though: whoever this figure is, he's clearly someone worth remembering to be immortalized like this.

But why does he appear in so many other places? So many of these artifacts are ancient, and some are from lost civilizations so old they don't even have names.

How is that possible?

More information - Statuette from Noxus.

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

This statuette is from Noxus. 

Yes, Noxus. You know how I feel about Noxians, but their city is full of history. It'll take more than dark magic, guards with massive axes, and a creepy bird guy to keep ME from exploring the most important places in Valoran. 

Noxus is full of these kinds of statuettes. Usually, they're made as tributes to the nation's greatest heroes, but this one doesn't look like any Noxian war hero I've ever heard of. I know of plenty, too, believe me: pick up any Noxian book and it's probably a way-too-lengthy chronicle of some hero's life, conquests, and the size of their weapon. I wouldn't have looked twice at this one if I hadn't recognized the figure. 

Here's the thing that's really nagging me… what's Noxus doing with statues of a figure that shows up in Demacian art, too?

More Information - Books and Poems

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

When I noticed the similarities between the Demacian stained glass and the Noxian statue, I had to know more. I pulled as many books as I could out of the library at Piltover's academy. There are some sections there restricted to everyone but academy graduates. I could have gotten in on my own, but I didn't want to burn any bridges, so I had Jayce help me out. Everyone loves that guy. 

The smaller one is a book of Noxian war poems. Most of what's inside is standard Noxian military fare, but the blade on the cover captured my attention. 

The big one right here is an old book of fables and stories. Not all of them are entirely true, but one of them caught my eye. The character in the story is an arrogant general leading his warriors into battle and winning with ease. He has the last of his enemies cornered, but… you know what they say about pride before a fall.

A great warrior—that's right, our dark figure—appears in the battle. The arrogant general's enemies, men on the verge of death, are inspired by his presence. “They rose from their knees as though he'd lit their very blood aflame,” it says. “The shamed general watched as his men were cleaved by an army that had begged for mercy just moments before. His enemies had become murderers and butchers. As they closed on him, the general could not be certain whether they were still men at all.”

More Information - Urn

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Shurima's been gone for centuries. It's hardly anything but dust now, but the ruins that remain show a massive civilization that once thrived in the desert. I have no idea what happened to the empire. It seems like it vanished without a trace… but that's a whole different mystery. 

I found this urn in a tomb there. From the look of the place and some of the carvings on the walls, it was the final resting place of a great Shuriman warlord who led a battle against impossible odds. He and his men should have gone out in a blaze of glory, but somehow, they won. Just a handful of warriors defeated thousands of enemies who rose against them. 

It's no wonder they'd immortalize that kind of victory on the walls of a tomb, but what is this dark figure doing on the urn? What part did he play in this battle? I just don't get it.

More Information - Dagger

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

You can carve plenty of interesting things out of the Freljord's ice. That place has always been a battleground, so I wouldn't have thought twice about digging up a dagger like this one if it weren't for two things. One: check out the etching in the metal. Look closely enough and you'll see the same serrated design found in the rest of these relics. Two, well… the dagger's hilt is carved from human bone. 

Here's where it gets more interesting. The tribesmen of that region say the figure on the blade is a legend, a “warrior-savior” who appeared during a battle against a hated rival tribe several years ago. They'd almost lost the battle, but the warrior appeared and led them to a crushing victory over their enemies. They left no one alive, but when the tribesmen went to celebrate with their champion, he'd already vanished. They say that - in his memory - they took the bones of their enemies as trophies. 

It sounds like a similar story to the one from the Shuriman tomb. Both tell of a warrior who appeared and turned the tide of a great battle… but at a gruesome cost.

More Information - Ionian Woodblock

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

This Ionian woodblock was carved long before the war with Noxus. They're rare nowadays, but they're always more or less the same. They all depict things of beauty: landscapes, monks in meditation, the stars and the night sky, all of that “enlightenment” stuff they're always on about. All of them... except this one.

I've never seen anything like it. It's that same dark figure with that same blade - and the worst thing - I don't think those red stains are ink…

More Information - Random Page

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

I got lucky with this one. I found it stuck between the pages of that huge book. It's not the same paper, and it's pretty damaged. Maybe someone got to this research before me, but they didn't get as far as I did. 

In the image, it looks like these men are revering a statue of the dark figure. The statue itself looks like it's half-unearthed. It might not even be something they built, but something they found. 

What is it about this figure that drove these people to be so devoted to him?

More Information - Coins and Pendant

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

I won these coins off a certain Card Master whose name I won't say… and whose real name I don't even know. I'd lost every single hand up until this one, and the one time I beat him, of course he'd bet completely useless old coins. I can't spend them anywhere in Valoran. At least I've found a “use” for them now. It took me a while to realize it, but that's the same jagged blade on these old coins. 

Finally, there's this pendant to the right. It's very, very old, and I have no idea where it originally came from. That's the dark figure's face right there in the metal. Whoever he is, he's been around for a really long time. 

That's all I've collected so far. So… what do you think? Who is this figure, and what does his presence mean? 

I know one thing: I never want to meet him

 Zaun Lab Bot Leaks a Photo

You may remember him from the Zac release. He now leaked us the full picture that Ezreal tried to hide!

Zerglinator makes a good point that this sounds almost tied to the lore update of Tryndamere. In which it says "But the dark figure did not even lift his blade, and instead gave Tryndamere a knowing smile as he withdrew into the shadows. That was the last time the barbarian ever saw his nemesis." In this teaser post, we have ": they show a dark figure, clearly inhuman, wielding a jagged blade." and ", this dark figure has been at the center of many bloody conflicts and tales of war.". However when Ezreal was asked about this, he had this to say.

Lets hear your speculation of whats to come?

Important: PBE Changes for 5/7 - Update to Custom Item Sets, New TPA Shen and Mundo Sounds, and More
Important: Full Freljord AMA Roundup

Several "System-Level" Redesigns being Considered for TT

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

I'm not in-tune with the actual beta status, but in terms of design there's definitely a lot of holes that need to be addressed. Now that Howling Abyss is done, there's several systems-levels redesigns that we want to consider for the upcoming patches.

Heimerdinger Once Again Confirmed Next Non-Art Rework

Not really new, as we have been told this a few times already, but here it is once more:

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Well there has been a lot of talk on Sion, and a little on Viktor, (who honestly just needs the ability to continuously upgrade his hextech core to make it better and better and he will be viable AF) but not much talk on Heimy. Is Heimy next up on the re-work list?

Next on the non-art list, yes.

Update to Custom Item Sets - Now Select Per Map and Per Champion!

Update: Riot has a red post about this

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

 Summoners!

After reviewing your feedback, we’ve made some big changes to Item Sets. We’re still working on it (for example, you are not yet able to stack items), but we’re ready to make it available again on PBE so we can start another cycle of discussion. 

What’s new?
----------
-Page Management:
--The drop down menu has been replaced with a full list so you get a broader overview of all your Item Sets. 
-Map and Champion Associations:
--You now have precise control over which champions and maps your Item Sets can be used with. 
--When you get into a game, you’ll only see the Item Sets relevant to your current game, ordered by their specificity. 

----------
As with everything we bring to PBE, we will continue to iterate based on your feedback. Don’t forget to report any issues you encounter.

Thanks!

Updated TPA Mundo and Shen Attack Sounds

It looks like the basic attacks of TPA shen and TPA Mundo got updated. For exmaple Mundo's attacks now sound more metal like (due to him holding the trophy instead of the cleaver)

• files/DATA/Sounds/FMOD/LoL_SFX_drmundo_tpamundo.fsb
• files/DATA/Sounds/FMOD/LoL_Audio.fev
• files/DATA/Sounds/FMOD/LoL_SFX_shen_tpashen.fsb

Other Possible Changes

As noted in  Xypherous's 5/03/2013 Context Post - PBE for Patch 3.07, Minion damage should be reduced .Also Shyvana changes will be removed from 3.7

Strings

Also some strings in the AIR client are now bolded! Like the dates on match history, runes and such. (good eye Zerglinator)
Below are new strings added.

• flash_character_stats_stat13_0 - Mana Regen per 5:
• flash_character_stats_stat13_2 - None Regen per 5:
• flash_character_stats_stat13_3 - Shield Regen per 5:
• flash_character_stats_stat13_4 - Fury Regen per 5:
• flash_character_stats_stat13_9 - Other Regen per 5:

 FeralPony on Poppy's Heroic Charge

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

I have recoded Poppy's Heroic Charge spell from the ground up for this patch. The goals of this are to improve the charges detection of terrain and eliminate a few nasty edge case bugs where Poppy can stun enemies inappropriately even if missing terrain. All numerical elements of the skill should remain the same (cooldown, range, mana cost, damage etc)

There is one currently known bug of charging enemies on a glancing strike can cause the enemy to stop and be stunned but Poppy will continue charging. I'll be fixing this tomorrow morning for our next PBE push.

I'd like to shoot for getting it out next patch, but I'd like feedback from folks on how it feels first to be confident in going ahead with the change. If you guys could give it a go and see if you find any wonkiness with it that'd be greatly appreciated. Checking the feel of the ability versus the Live version especially would be very helpful. Thanks guys!

-Pony

Champion Changes

Items

The Rose's Pride has been fully removed from the files. [Though previously not in game, now its gone from the files!]

Full Freljord AMA Roundup

If you missed the massive AMA on reddit today, we have you covered with a massive roundup of every post. This goes in order of each riot poster covering: "IronStylus", "RiotNome", "Kitae", "Brackhar", "3PEET" , "RiotRunaan", "MorelloRiot", and "RiotMeddler". They talk about upcoming champion reworks. Next Ultimate skin is not Freljord related, talk of Mount Targon and more!

Updated with Riotpraeco

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Q: [Mutterscrawl]What are the chances for Ashe to get an "Avarosa" skin or Sejuani to get a skin that makes her look like Serylda, or perhaps a skin that shows what Lissandra looked like in the distant past?

A: [IronStylus]Ooooh, i'd love to see that!

Q: [IronStylus]I have a question for YOU guys! What sort of events of this sort would you want to see in the future? What part of the world do you feel could benefit from the Freljord treatment and what do you think they should include? I'd really love us to continue with these initiatives, and I'd like to know what our players want to experience, where they want to go, and who they want to get to know better! *cough*Mount-Targon*cough*

A: [TomTomKenobi]Shurima Desert could have many cool secrets! The Plague Jungles look very dark and mysterious, too. Moving away from places, I really really really enjoyed the Ionia vs Noxus battle and the true/real repercussions in the game (new boots and lore). Keep up the good work and thank you! EDIT: Maybe open a door to the Void and have all the LoL characters team up to destroy the spawns! (i.e. zombie apocalypse; new coop game mode...)

Q: [stickyspam]The Sejuani and Trundle reworks were excellent, who's next for rework?

A: [IronStylus]A few options. Sivir is a possibility, plus some others that haven't been announced that we've been touching on ;)

Q: [anotherlblacklwidow]Now that Freljord has passed and content doesn't have to be icy, should Scorched Earth Renekton be considered upcoming? Or has it been more-or-less shelved?

A: [IronStylus]I know he's not shelved.

Important: Free Champion Rotation - Trundle and Sejuani

Shyvana Changes Removed from 3.7

It looks like the changes we saw on the PBE will not be going live with 3.7

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

I just pulled this from the 3.7 patch.

While we want to do things to Shyvana - she just isn't testing well enough for us to be confident in shipping her in 3.7. We know that 'E' feels lackluster and that her 'R' could be cooler, we're just playing around with what specifically.

Champions and Skins

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

So I ask riot, Do you place unpopular champs in the lowest priority when making skins?
TL; DR: It looks like unpopular champs (The ones that are rarely played anymore) get less skins compared to others released at the same time. Why?

To answer the question, their popularity is factored into the decision for skins, but it's not the only factor.

There's less demand for skins on champs that are under-represented, but there's the argument that perhaps they'd see a boost in play if a cool skin came out for them. It's a catch 22, and that's why we still try to make skins for less popular champs every once in a while.

Thank you for this.
For almost two years, I've heard the exact opposite from Rioters, that the popularity of certain champs does not enter into whether they get a new skin or not.
I don't know if those other Rioters were lying before, but it's nice to know some suspicions are at least partially founded.

Well, I want to stress that it is not at the top of the list of reasons for a skin at all, and it was no one's intention to deceive. It's way more organic than that, and when you gather momentum organically on these skin idea, it's likely your pattern will match up with our player's tastes.

This weeks free champion rotation has been posted on the Korean LoL Site. These champions will become free to play starting tomorrow 5/7

Important: DO NOT miss today's news: .Possible Champion Leak, Morello on Sion Rework, Classick on Rengar Changes, Solcrushed on Viktor Changes, Morello on Urgot

Xypherous's 5/03/2013 Context Post - PBE for Patch 3.07

Xypherous goes over the PBE changes from yesterday, and the day before.. Also make sure to click "RedTracker Srouce" as he is answering some questions.

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Hey guys, I'm going to be talking a little bit about some of the more subtle things that are in Patch 3.07 that we've been tentatively working on - as well as hopefully stir some conversation up over the changes that should be in the PBE patch (depending on when that gets deployed out.)

Note that this isn't a full list of changes, only ones I have sufficient context to talk to you about or are things that are hard to notice, and they reflect the content in the next PBE build, so certain things like the minion damage reduction isn't currently on this version of the PBE patch - but will be in a few days.

Minion Damage Reduction?

Minion Damage Reduction

* Ranged Minion Damage goes from starting at 23 --> 22.

Important: For those interested in Lyte talking about the new behavior alerts. he has posted about 15 new posts.
Update: 5/3 - RP Purchasing Disabled
Update2: Riot has posted a rather late post, going over each and every PBE change (including some new ones) Check it out

Possible Champion Leak - Gun Templar

Over on the official forums, a thread got posted with an image of a possible new champion. However as reported in multiple threads Riot removed this image and closed the thread almost right away. It's up to you if you think it is real or not at this point.

Morello on Sion Rework

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Really well-laid out suggestions - thanks for taking the time to propose this in-depth.

Let me clear up one thing, though - there's no world in which we make an old champion with a schizo kit into two complete champions. This is really about resource allocation usage and efficiency, as it obviously takes 2x the work to make 2x the champions, and whenever we're doing one thing, we're not doing another thing (and there's lots to be done!) Sion being reworked faithfully is not worth another rework not coming out, another champion who brings something new, or any myriad of other fixes we could be doing.

Additionally, and while I understand very well the attachment people can have to a champion, I think retaining Sion faithfully is exactly what I don't want to do. "Why?!" you may ask!

Sion's AD kit has some bare-bones tools that can apply well to a lifesteal guy, but those could use updating as well (AS on this guy...hmmmmm), but importantly, the AP kit has little-to-no counter play or interaction at all. There's something to be said about the shield being interesting, but I think it's bad when combined with a single target stun and as a burst nuke overall. Additionally, he's basically a creative mess - a Zombie Axe guy that casts spells and does an assortment of disjointed things with old Arnold movie quotes. The only reason to even consider that is for legacy - which has value - but not enough on its own in many cases.

In this case, unlike someone like Urgot who is just niche, Sion is a low attachment character with low counterplay, interaction, and no creative hooks. What I do think could be interesting about Sion isn't his kit, but the idea behind him - a massive, unmovable undead lifesteal tank. That has legs (heh) and can really be developed into a resurgence/HP Steal character befitting of the idea, and it gives us lots of opportunities with the art.

Thought I'd just update our direction here so you guys could see our thinking and there can be discussion. I know there will be people attached to original Sion, but in this case (and this is not by any means a default stance for me), I think it has to play second stage to making the character something not-bad.

IMPORTANT: Summoner Name Cleanup and 50% Off Name Change Sale - Patch 3.7 Before May 26th

PBE Patch - TPA Skin Previews

In case you missed the update (due to servers being down till 1am) we have videos up of all the TPA skins. It looks like there is still some more work to be done. They will be 750 RP. You can find them all in lasts night PBE Posts.

Update: 2:28 AM A second patch hit, Zed and Rumble changes.

Lyte on Informing us on the Results of a Report

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

We're not opposed to the idea of giving more feedback to players that use the report feature. Even if we slowly replace bans with account restrictions, we can notify players in other ways such as whether a player they reported was chat-restricted, or reformed and improved their behaviors.

However, it's more of an issue of pragmatism. Right now, most of the player behavior team is working on potential Champ Select solutions, and we feel that's the #1 problem that we should be working on right now. A few members of the team are working on account restrictions like Restricted Chat and Behavior Alerts, and we feel that's the right call as well.

We may re-visit feedback loops for reporters in the future, but I strongly believe in what we are currently working on.

Summoner Name Cleanup and 50% Off Name Change Sale

The sale that we reported would be soon has been announced. However along with this, we now know the next patch will be rather soon. Hitting sometime before May 26th. (with the cutoff date listed, it may be around may 12th. Meaning this will be a fast PBE cycle)

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

When Patch 3.7 arrives in May, we'll be rounding up inactive accounts to make those summoner names available to players. To make it easier for you to pick up a new summoner name, we're also putting name changes on sale for 50% off.

An inactive account is any account level 5 or below that hasn't played a game since January 1^st, 2013 or any account level 10 or below that hasn't played since January 1^st, 2012. To keep those accounts' names, you'll have to log on and play at least one game between now and Sunday, May 12^th, at 11:59 PM PDT. If you miss the deadline, don't worry - your account is still active, but you'll be prompted to choose a new summoner name when you log in next time. Only inactive accounts are at risk to lose their summoner names.

From the release of Patch 3.7 through May 26^th, summoner name changes will cost 650 RP, down from their normal 1300 RP price. With Season 3 in full swing, it's a great time to showcase both your skills and your creativity to your opponents.

We look forward to seeing your dazzling new pseudonyms on the Fields of Justice soon!

More on Udyr's Tiger Stance Change

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Sorry guys, I'd like to start by apologizing because we definitely screwed up here both in terms of what we put into the game and what we failed to communicate out to you guys, but let me clarify what is and what is not intended with Udyr's Tiger Stance.

What Is Intended:
- Udyr can "prime" Tiger Stance's damage-over-time proc indefinitely as long as he remains in Tiger Stance
- Tiger Stance's Attack Speed bonus carries over into other Stances

What Is Not Intended:
- Udyr should not be able to use Tiger Stance's damage-over-time proc while in other Stances

With the new patch, we removed his ability to get the Tiger first hit proc unless he used it within the first 5 seconds of being in Tiger Stance. This is not intended. Udyr's first hit after switching into Tiger Stance should proc the DoT regardless of how long he has been in Tiger Stance, but the instant he switches out of it he will not be able to proc it.

I know removing the ability to proc the Tiger DoT while in other stances is a nerf, but it is intended. Frankly, it doesn't make sense for him to apply his Tiger hit in other Stances from several perspectives (gameplay, visuals, or thematics). Tiger's proc, Bear's stun, and Phoenix's Flame Breath are all intended to be local to those stances. At the end of the day, if the only reason to use Tiger is to switch into it and then immediately switch out of it...that seems to point to a core problem that Tiger Stance is simply not attractive enough on its own. So we'll deal with that if that's an issue.

TL;DR
We will be giving Udyr back the ability to prime his DoT indefinitely as long as he remains in Tiger Stance. Removing the ability to proc the Tiger DoT while in a different Stance is an intended change.

IP not being Received

For those wondering about your IP. Fear not, your IP is NOT lost. Riot is working on the issue.

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

5/1/13 02:30 PM - Summoners, we are working on a fix to resolve this issue permanently. Your IP is not being lost but just delayed. If your IP is not updating, relogging and visiting the store should update your IP balance. If this workaround does not resolve the issue, please submit a ticket to Player Support to investigate these cases individually.

Udyr's First Attack Bonus From Tiger Stance Does Not Swap With Stances Now

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Yes, this is intended. The temporary attack speed from Tiger Stance lasts 5 seconds, swap stance or not, but the first attack bonus can only be applied if you are still in Tiger Stance. Upcoming changes to the tooltips and buffs will make this more clear.

Super Important: Lissandra is live!

The Battle for the Freljord Begins

Make sure to check out the Freljord website below. It has some audio you can click on in various places for some more lore!

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Welcome to the frozen North - a windswept and war-torn region home to some of the most resilient people in all of Runeterra. Here, three great tribes vie for control of their icy homeland. The Avarosan, led by Ashe, strive to unite the Freljord under a banner of peace. The Winter's Claw, boldest and most warlike of the three, follow Sejuani on her campaign of conquest. And the Frostguard, secluded and mysterious, bide their time haunting ancient ruins alongside Lissandra, the Ice Witch. As they prepare for war, something ancient and sinister stirs deep beneath the earth, threatening to corrupt the land itself.

Explore the Freljord

Choose your tribe

You can join the battle for the Freljord by declaring your allegiance to Ashe, Sejuani or Lissandra. At the start of the event, you'll be able to choose from the following three summoner icons:

 

Choose the tribe you want to support by selecting their banner as your summoner icon. Win 10 games without changing your icon, and you'll unlock it permanently. Win a game with a different tribal icon and you'll have to start over, so choose wisely!

Choose your tribe FAQ

During the Freljord event you’ll have the opportunity to permanently unlock a summoner icon featuring the emblem of your favorite tribe. At the start of the event, all three tribes will have icons available. Winning games wearing the icon associated with your favorite will earn you points toward unlocking it permanently.

How do I unlock a tribe’s icon?

After accruing ten wins with a tribal icon, you'll permanently unlock an upgraded version. This upgraded icon is a badge of honor reserved only for loyal members of the tribe.

Which game types count toward my wins?

All matchmade games against human opponents count toward unlocking the banner of your chosen tribe. This includes all normal and ranked games on Summoner’s Rift, the Crystal Scar, the Twisted Treeline and the Howling Abyss.

Custom game or co-op vs. AI wins won’t help you join a tribe.

How long do I have to unlock my chosen icon?

The Freljord event will run until 5/14. Victories within this time period will count towards joining a tribe.

Temporary icons won’t be available once the event’s over, so be sure to join a tribe before time runs out.

What happens if I change my icon while accruing my 10 wins?

Playing a game with the icon of a new tribe will reset any progress you made toward unlocking any of the others. Non-Freljord icons have no effect on your progress toward joining a tribe.

How long after I complete my 10th win will I receive my icon?

It can take up to 48 hours for you to receive the icon of your chosen tribe. You’ll know you’ve successfully completed the process when you find an upgraded version of the tribe’s icon available in-client.

Can I unlock more than one icon?

No. You can only join one Freljord tribe, so choose your allegiance wisely.

You can switch tribes over the course of the event by winning 10 games with a new icon. At that point you’ll gain your new tribe’s icon, but lose your previous tribe’s icon.

I’m still confused. Can you give some examples?

Sure. Here are a few examples for the sake of clarity.

Example 1:

• Morello wins seven games for the Winter’s Claw, then changes his mind and wins one game for the Avarosan.
• Result – Morello currently holds one win toward unlocking the Avarosan icon. He needs nine more wins to join the tribe. If he switches back to the Winter’s Claw banner, he needs 10 wins to join them.

Example 2:

• Phreak wins 10 games for the Frostguard, successful joining the tribe. He then wins nine games under the Avarosan banner.
• Result – Phreak is still a member of the Frostguard, but he has nine wins toward unlocking the Avarosan icon. If he wins another game for the Avarosan, he’ll join that tribe and replace his Frostguard icon.

Example 3:

• ByronicHero racks up 100 wins in a row, but changes his icon to a different tribe every time.
• Result – ByronicHero doesn’t unlock any icons, because no tribe wants to be associated with a dirty, noncommittal flip-flopper like him. Don’t be like ByronicHero – join a tribe so you don’t get left out in the cold!

Lissandra Login Screen and Music

As always, you can download this great login screen from here.

Lissandra and Freljord skins available

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

The fight for the Freljord has begun, and many champions of the League are ready to join the battle for the northlands.

Lissandra, the Ice Witch

The leader of the Frostguard tribe, Lissandra, awaits her ancient masters' return amongst the Freljord's northern ruins. Wielding powerful frost magic, this mobile, mana-efficient caster excels at harassing groups of enemies with area of effect and crowd control abilities.

Bloodstone Lissandra 

This earthen look for the Ice Witch features new sounds and spell effects befitting her rockier theme. Unearth both for 1462 RP (Normally 1950) until the end of the weekend.

• Bloodstone Lissandra 975 RP

Learn more about Lissandra by checking out these features:

• Lissandra, the Ice Witch revealed
• Lissandra Champion Spotlight

Blackfrost Anivia

Consumed by the growing corruption of her ancestral homeland, Blackfrost Anivia stands as a monument to the insidious magic of the Watchers. This Legendary new vision of the Cryophoenix features new spell effects, animations and VO befitting her sinister shift in allegiance. 

• Blackfrost Anivia 1820 RP

Ice Drake Shyvana and Runeguard Volibear

Shyvana and Volibear are decked out and ready to hit the icy slopes of the Freljord. The Thunder's Roar now sports heavy armor marked by the shamanistic symbols of his tribe, and the Half Dragon has traded her fiery form for one at home in this harsh, inhospitable realm.

• Ice Drake Shyvana 975 RP

• Runeguard Volibear 975 RP

Important: Interested in trying out Infinite Crisis, an exciting new MOBA based in the DC Multiverse? Curse has you covered with a massive amount of beta keys to get you into the beta! Check out here for NA and here for EU. For more information on Infinite Crisis check out the official page.

An Important Recap on Today's News

Update: The korean lol website has an interesting video up of Lissandra, with some possible lore.

A LOT happened today, here is a quick bullet point of what happened today, and links to read about it!

• Patch 3.6 Patch notes - 3.6 is Tomorrow!
• Champion Spotlight: Lissandra, the Ice Witch
• Free Champion Rotation - Is also a massive champion and skin sale! 20% off!
• Also, normal champion and skin sale.

 Howling Abyss MMR

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Are we getting new hidden MMRs for Howling Abyss?
Just curious if we'll all start equal (at 1200 or any other value) or if our Summoner's Rift hidden MMR will carry over to HA.

I know we have separate MMRs per map. I believe HA will have a new hidden MMR specifically for it but we get that ARAM is less about precise skill matchmaking and more about SUPER RANDOM CHAOS. So the focus is on light balance and more on getting you matches in the queue faster.

Patch 3.6 Rundown with Saintvicious

Champion Spotlight: Lissandra, the Ice Witch

Learn how to send your enemies to an icy grave in this Champion Spotlight.

An extremely mobile, mana-efficient mage, Lissandra relies more heavily on crowd control and kiting than raw burst damage. Her unique suite of abilities makes her an excellent choice for either a roaming mid or a safe, self-sufficient top laner in a double AP comp.

Learn some tips, tricks, sample mastery and rune builds, and more in the Lissandra Champion Spotlight. 

There is just not stop to the news today. Not only is the patch tomorrow - This weeks Freljord themes Free Champion Rotation is also a massive sale! This is on top of the normal champion and skin sale (Found at the bottom)

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Check out this week's free to play champions! 

Forces are gathering for the looming conflict in the frigid Freljord. These champions, along with one skin each, will also be on sale for 20% off for one week: 

Official Patch 3.6 Notes

Very Important: Lyte just posted about a new system: Behavior Alerts - Nudging players back on track

In case you missed it, Patch 3.6 is tomorrow! Also note that Lissandra is "in" this patch, and she will be activated a little later like all champions have been.

Originally Posted by Riot (View RedTracker Source)

Lissandra

Lissandra the Ice Witch will be released at a later date.

 Sejuani

Sejuani has been relaunched with a new model, updates to her story and a revised kit. For more information on the Winter’s Wrath, click here.

• Frost Armor (Passive)
  • Damaging an enemy with an ability or basic attack grants Sejuani bonus armor and reduces movement-slowing effects on her for a short duration
• Arctic Assault (Q)
  • Sejuani charges forward, knocking enemies into the air and dealing magic damage to them based on their maximum health. The charge stops after knocking an enemy champion into the air
• Flail of the Northern Winds (W)
  • Sejuani's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage to her target and all nearby enemies. She then spins her flail, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies for a few seconds
• Permafrost (E)
  • Passive: Sejuani’s abilities and basic attacks apply Frost to enemies
  • Active: Sejuani damages and slows all nearby enemies afflicted with Frost
• Glacial Prison (Ultimate)
  • Sejuani throws a frost-forged bola in a line. If the bola hits an enemy champion, it shatters, stunning the target and all nearby enemies. If the bola reaches its maximum range without striking an enemy champion, it shatters and slows nearby enemies

 Trundle

Trundle has been relaunched with a new model, updates to his story, and changes to his kit. For a full rundown of the Troll King’s changes, click here.

• King's Tribute (previously Decompose)
  • No gameplay changes
• Chomp (previously Rabid Bite)
  • Damage adjusted to 20/40/60/80/100 (+1.0/1.05/1.1/1.15/1.2 attack damage) from 30/45/60/75/90 (+0.8/0.9/1/1.1/1.2 attack damage)
  • Now slows target by 75% for 0.1 seconds on hit
  • Animation speed scales with Trundle's attack speed
• Frozen Kingdom (previously Contaminate)
  • Attack speed bonus increased to 20/35/50/65/80% from 20/30/40/50/60%
  • Now grants 8/11/14/17/20% increased healing to Trundle
  • No longer grants tenacity
• Pillar of Ice (previously Pillar of Filth)
  • Now interrupts channels
  • Duration reduced to 6 seconds from 6.5
• Subjugate (previously Agony)
  • Now deals 20/22/24 (+2 per 100 AP)% max health damage instead of 200/350/500
  • Armor and magic resist drain adjusted to 20% from 15/20/25%
  • Second drain effect now applies over 4 seconds and keeps the stats for another 4 seconds afterwards instead of draining over 6 seconds

 Brand

• Pyroclasm
  • Now properly bounces to other targets after hitting an enemy affected by Blaze

 Corki

• Missile Barrage
  • Fixed a bug where using Missile Barrage restarted the cooldown for gaining another missile

 Dr. Mundo

• Infected Cleaver
  • Can be cast at any health value, but will not reduce health below 1
• Masochism
  • Can be cast at any health value, but will not reduce health below 1

 Draven

In Patch 3.5, we changed Draven’s Spinning Axe to lead Draven more accurately when he was benefitting from movement speed increases. Unfortunately, these changes were very disruptive for dedicated Draven players and didn’t offer enough potential for skilled players to showcase their skill through covering long distances between throwing and catching. We decided to revert the change.

• Spinning Axe
  • Reverted a recent change affecting how Draven was led by Spinning Axe, restoring prior functionality
  • Axe drop location will no longer be placed on the far side of impassable terrain from Draven

 Ezreal

• Pulsefire Ezreal
  • Fixed a bug where Pulsefire Ezreal would occasionally not see gold popups for some of his last hits on targets in plain view
  • Fixed a bug where Pulsefire Ezreal would play his death animation a second time if Trueshot Barrage was leveled up while dead

 Fiddlesticks

• Drain Life
  • Fixed a bug where Fiddlesticks would not immediately attack his target after successfully channeling Drain Life

 Karma

With our previous patch changes, we increased Karma’s overall usability and Mantra generation. These changes are more focused on smoothing out Karma’s early game presence by giving a damage increase to Inner Flame’s lower levels and buffing Inspire to make it far more effective at level one.

Additionally, by lowering the cooldowns of three of Karma’s abilities – including her Mantra – Karma will synergize better with Gathering Fire, allowing her to scale into late game.

• Inner Flame
  • Damage increased to 80/125/170/215/260 from 60/110/160/210/260
• Focused Resolve
  • Cooldown reduced to 16/15/14/13/12 seconds from 16/15.5/15/14.5/14
• Inspire
  • Cooldown reduced to 10 seconds from 12
  • Movement speed bonus increased to 40/45/50/55/60% from 20/30/40/50/60%
• Mantra
  • Cooldown reduced to 45/42/39/36 seconds from 45

 Lulu

• Mana per level increased to 55 from 50
• Glitterlance
  • Mana cost increased to 60/65/70/75/80 from 40/50/60/70/80

 Malzahar

• Call of the Void
  • Mana cost reduced to 80/85/90/95/100 from 80/90/100/110/120
• Null Zone
  • Mana cost reduced to 90/95/100/105/110 from 90/100/110/120/130

 Nasus

With a 95% movement speed and attack speed reduction at max levels, Wither was completely shutting down champions reliant on auto-attacks with no opportunity for counterplay. By reducing the attack speed slow, Nasus is still effective at suppressing champions, but his victims will now have the option to turn and fight.

• Wither
  • Attack speed slow amount has been halved

 Nunu

• Consume
  • No longer expends Visionary if the target dies before Consume resolves

 Olaf

• Reckless Swing
  • Can be cast at any health value, but will not reduce health below 1

 Quinn

We wanted to highlight Quinn’s great strengths as an unconventional AD carry with high cross-map mobility. As such, Quinn can now use Tag Team more reliably in and out of fights, and the additional movement speed on Heightened Senses should allow her to remain more elusive in skirmishes.

For the other two changes, we gave Blinding Assault an ability power ratio so that players can gain some additional power when building items like Trinity Force or when receiving the Baron Nashor buff. For Vault, we added a mini stun on Quinn’s target as she dashes toward them, making it more reliable as an escape.

• Blinding Assault
  • Now has a 0.5 ability power ratio
• Heightened Senses
  • Passive as Quinn now grants 20/30/40/50/60 movement speed in addition to the attack speed bonus
• Vault
  • Now briefly interrupts the target
• Tag Team
  • Maximum movement speed bonus increased to 80/90/100% from 80% at all ranks
  • Base movement speed bonus increased to 20/30/40% from 20% at all ranks
  • Cooldown reduced to 140/110/80 seconds from 140/120/100
  • Skystrike can now be cast 1 second after activating Tag Team, down from 2.5

 Rumble

• Flamespitter
  • No longer prevents Rumble from automatically acquiring basic attack targets

 Shen

• Ki Strike
  • Fixed a bug that caused Ki Strike to be consumed when attacking wards

 Sivir

• Fleet of Foot
  • Now also grants its effect when Boomerang Blade and Ricochet hit enemy champions

 Thresh

Death Sentence and its passive were providing too many benefits at early levels with their high poke, burst damage, and lowered cooldowns. By moving the passive damage bonus from Death Sentence to Flay, Thresh players will now need to think strategically about how they level their skills.

• Death Sentence
  • Damage increased to 80/120/160/200/240 from 80/110/140/170/200
  • Passive moved to Flay
• Flay
  • Damage reduced to 65/95/125/155/185 from 65/105/145/185/225
  • Now has Death Sentence’s previous passive (bonus damage on basic attacks)
  • Fixed a bug that caused the passive's damage to be consumed when attacking wards
  • Fixed a bug where Flay sometimes dealt more damage than intended

Udyr

With these changes, we wanted to accomplish a few separate things. First, we wanted to tone down Udyr’s overpowering early game Tiger Stance damage, but we also wanted to let him scale better into late game. These changes were implemented by scaling the attack damage ratios on Tiger Stance’s active damage.

Second, by changing the active damage of Tiger Stance from magical to physical, it should be more intuitive to itemize against Udyr. Additionally, it will also be easier for Udyr to itemize properly, as he will gain further benefits from attack damage focused items like Black Cleaver or Last Whisper.

• Tiger Stance
  • Active damage changed to physical instead of magic
  • Active damage changed to 30/80/130/180/230 (+1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5/1.6 attack damage) from 30/80/130/180/230 (+1.5 total attack damage)
  • Active attack speed increased to 30/40/50/60/70% from 15/20/25/30/35%
  • No longer grants attack speed as a persistent effect
    • New persistent effect: Basic attacks deal 15% of his total attack damage as bonus physical damage on hit
• Bear Stance
  • Udyr now only dashes when stunning champions

 Vayne

• Condemn
  • Range now accurately matches her attack range

 Vi

• Vault Breaker
  • Fixed a bug that caused Vault Breaker to become uncastable after activation
• Excessive Force
  • Can no longer be cast while charging Vault Breaker

 Zac

• Increased transparency when in brush

 Zed

Previously, Zed could safely farm large minion waves with Shadow Slash by consistently resetting the cooldown of Living Shadow. These changes were intended to promote aggressive play with Zed while also creating a window for players to engage on him in lane.

• Living Shadow
  • Cooldown reduced to 18/17/16/15/14 seconds from 22/20.5/19/17.5/16
• Shadow Slash
  • Hitting minions and monsters no longer reduces Living Shadow's cooldown
  • Hitting enemy champions reduces Living Shadow's cooldown by 2 seconds, up from 1

 Items

Elixir of Fortitude is meant to be an “all-in” burst of power for players looking to take control of a situation. With its low cost, however, players were simply defaulting to it as a general starting item with no significant repercussion. Increasing the gold cost of Elixir of Fortitude aligns it better with the risky strategy it was intended for.

• Elixir of Fortitude
  • Cost increased to 350 gold from 250

Alongside our Elixir of Fortitude change, we wanted to tackle ultra-high sustain starts where players were beginning the game with as many health potions as possible in order to safely sustain in lane for long periods of time. However, these high sustain starts also destroy any incentive players have to interact. Manaless champions in particular benefitted from these starts, resulting in some mana-based opponents being unable to burn through the high levels of sustained HP. We will monitor starting item builds and champions that relied heavily on high potion starts, but wanted to focus on addressing passive high-sustain builds first.

• Health Potion
  • Limited to 5 Health Potions at a time
• Mana Potion
  • Limited to 5 Mana Potions at a time
• Ionian Boots of Lucidity
  • Upgrade cost reduced to 650 gold from 700 (total cost is now 1000 from 1050)
• Tiamat
  • Combine cost reduced to 265 from 665 (total cost is now 1900 from 2300)
  • Attack damage reduced to 40 from 50
• Ravenous Hydra
  • Combine cost increased to 600 from 200 (total cost unchanged)
• Boots
  • Limited to 1 Boots item at a time

 The Howling Abyss

• The Howling Abyss has replaced The Proving Grounds in custom games and the basic tutorial
• A 5v5 All-Random queue has been enabled for matches played on the Howling Abyss
  • Restricted to players of level 5 or above
  • Players may reroll for a different champion in Champion Select for 200 reroll points
    • All players have been credited with 200 reroll points
    • Additional reroll points are gained by completing matchmade Howling Abyss games
    • Reroll point gains increase based on the number of champions the player owns
    • Reroll point count can be checked in the player profile.

 Game Interface

• Smart Ping
  • Updated the ping icons to better match other game visuals
• Item shop
  • Can now be resized by dragging from the bottom right-hand corner
  • Default size now determined by screen resolution

 Leagues

• Fixed an issue where the end of game screen would incorrectly show "League info processing" instead of updating immediately
• Champion headers designed for each specific league have been added to the Leagues tab in player profiles
• LP 'clamping' has been smoothed.  Players will experience more predictable LP gains and losses as they approach 100 LP
• Dodging a match in a promotional series now counts as 1 loss.  This will still end your series if you were one loss away from losing it

 General

• Baron Nashor/Dragon
  • Now immune to effects that would reduce their damage
• Baron Nashor, Dragon, and Vilemaw kill messages are now bolded in chat
• Twisted Treeline altar capture messages are now bolded in chat
• Items with charges now display the charge counter in the inventory rather than displaying as a buff
• Players will no longer see reconnect messages from the enemy team
• Trundle has replaced Master Yi in the basic tutorial
• Spell shields now only block one spell even if multiple spells hit the target in rapid succession
• Blind Random has been added as a pick type in custom games.  This mode works the same as All Random, but the enemy team's champions will not be displayed in champion select
• Players with video cards that use software vertex shaders (primarily integrated cards like those in laptops) should see a 10-40% FPS performance improvement across all maps

With every patch, we strive to improve the look of the game in varying degrees.  We recommend that you have the latest available video card drivers installed.